TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama College of Engineering’s department of chemical engineering will offer an honors program specifically for chemical engineering majors beginning Fall 2003.

The program is comprised of a set of required and elective courses students can take through one-on-one study with faculty, co-op for credit with industrial supervisors, individually designed research or project experiences, and through a special core of classes intended to expose students to concepts critical to the professional chemical engineering fields.

“Students enrolled in this honors program will gain vital skills that will help them perform well in the work environment after they graduate, and the faculty members benefit from the fresh approaches the students bring to problem solving,” said Dr. Gary April, University research professor and head of the chemical engineering department. “It also gives students the chance to research exciting and innovative chemical engineering topics, from fuel cells to advanced electronic materials.”

To apply, incoming and transfer students must have a minimum grade point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale and an ACT score of 28 or SAT score of 1240. Current UA students must have a 3.3 GPA. Honor students must maintain a 3.3 GPA to remain in the honors program.

The chemical engineering honors program can be elected along with the University Honors Program. Some of the chemical engineering honors classes will count as credit hours for both types of honors programs.

In 1837, UA became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering, with about 1,900 students and more than 90 faculty, is one of the three oldest continuously operating engineering programs in the country and has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.